周 (zhōu): week, around
周 (zhōu) is a Chinese character meaning “week, around.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 冂 (structural), 土 (structural) and 口 (structural). It ranks #490 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 周 border 冂 around land 土 with a well 口. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- week, around
Etymology & Origin
ideographicBorder 冂 around land 土 with a well 口
Decomposition: ⿵冂⿱土口 (layout: surround-from-top)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 周 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 周
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 周末noun | zhōu mò | weekend | 3 |
| 周围noun | zhōu wéi | environs | 4 |
| 周年noun | zhōu nián | anniversary | 5 |
| 四周noun | sì zhōu | all around | 5 |
| 周到adjective | zhōu dào | thoughtful | 6 |
| 周边noun | zhōu biān | periphery | 6 |
| 众所周知phrase | zhòng suǒ zhōu zhī | (idiom) as everyone knows | 6 |
| 周期noun | zhōu qī | period | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 上周noun | shàng zhōu | last week |
| 每周adverb | měi zhōu | every week |
| 周五noun | zhōu wǔ | Friday |
| 周六noun | zhōu liù | Saturday |
| 周日noun | zhōu rì | (dialect) weekday |
| 周二noun | zhōu èr | Tuesday |
| 周四noun | zhōu sì | Thursday |
| 周一noun | zhōu yī | Monday |
| 周三noun | zhōu sān | Wednesday |
| 周刊noun | zhōu kān | weekly publication |
| 周游verb | zhōu yóu | to travel around |
| 周全adjective | zhōu quán | comprehensive |
| 周密adjective | zhōu mì | careful |
| 周旋verb | zhōu xuán | to mix with others |
| 周折noun | zhōu zhé | twists and turns |
周 appears in 102 compound words: 68 as the first character, 23 as the last, and 10 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 周 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
as everyone knows; as is known to all; it is well-known that; it is common knowledge that
Showing 5 of 6 idioms containing 周.
Example Sentences
这个项目预计需要两周时间完成，下周一开始执行。
Zhè gè xiàngmù yùjì xūyào liǎng zhōu shíjiān wánchéng, xià zhōuyī kāishǐ zhíxíng.
This project is expected to take two weeks to complete, starting execution next Monday.
暴风雪来袭 纽约市周一停课停学 19年来首见
bào fēng xuě lái xí niǔ yuē shì zhōu yī tíng kè tíng xué 1 9 nián lái shǒu jiàn
The blizzard hit New York City on Monday and closed classes for the first time in 19 years
辉达本周公布财报 营收估增67%
huī dá běn zhōu gōng bù cái bào yíng shōu gū zēng 6 7
Nvidia announced its financial report this week, with revenue estimated to increase by 67%
...指如伊朗48小时内提交核协议草案 料美伊周五谈判
. . . zhǐ rú yī lǎng 4 8 xiǎo shí nèi tí jiāo hé xié yì cǎo àn liào měi yī zhōu wǔ tán pàn
... It refers to the fact that if Iran submits a draft nuclear agreement within 48 hours, the United States and Iran are expected to negotiate on Friday
黄金消费火热、春节不打烊,电商人一周三飞
huáng jīn xiāo fèi huǒ rè , chūn jié bù dǎ 烊 , diàn shāng rén yī zhōu sān fēi
Gold consumption is hot, the Spring Festival is not closed, and e-commerce people fly three times a week
...金2月28日启动2026年首轮调价;此前周生..
. . . jīn yuè rì qǐ dòng nián shǒu lún diào jiè cǐ qián zhōu shēng . .
... Gold launches first round of 2026 price hikes on Feb. 28; after weekly raw...
不谈了！我们去周庄玩怎么样？
Bù tán le! wǒmen qù Zhōuzhuāng wán zěnmeyàng?
No need to say anything more. How about we go to Zhouzhuang?
你周日晚上能来吗？
Nǐ Zhōurì wǎnshang néng lái ma?
Can you come on Sunday evening?
你的周末是怎么过的？
Nǐ de zhōumò shì zěnme guo de?
How did you spend your weekend?
这个周末你可以抽点时间教我法文吗？
Zhège zhōumò nǐ kěyǐ chōu diǎn shíjiān jiāo wǒ Fǎwén ma?
Will you have a little time this weekend to help me with my French?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 周 (zhōu) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 周?
What are the components of 周?
What are common words containing 周?
What characters sound the same as 周 (zhōu)?
Is 周 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 周 with real-time feedback
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